I got woefully lost tracing my family’s Jewish roots and fell into a familiar trap. Like many family history researchers trolling the Internet, I wanted to believe I was related to the great Moses Levy, a New York merchant who commissioned museum-quality portraits for most of his family members. My fifth grandmother was a Levy, […]
Little to Nothing Remains of Philip Benjamin’s Time in Charleston
Nothing is worse than the crushing blow of dashed expectations, especially regarding genealogy research. I had high hopes that a recent visit to Charleston, S.C., would turn up something — a gravestone, a house, a place of business, anything — related to my fourth great-grandfather, Philip Benjamin (1779-1852). My spirits rose when a Google Maps […]
My Six Most Awful Discoveries — So Far
Beware of what you might find when researching your family history. My family in particular seems to have more than its share of ghosts in the closet. Here are a few that I’ve discovered so far.
Judah P. Benjamin Was Forced to Leave His Desk Behind
When Judah P. Benjamin fled the country following the Civil War — he needed to skedaddle since he’d served as Secretary of State for the Confederacy — there was only so much he could take with him. First, the portly attorney could only fit so much on his horse, which he rode through the South, […]
The Judah P. Benjamin Files: The Treacherous Touch-the-Wig Tour
My self-appointed mission: To drive all the way to New Orleans for a special viewing of clothes belonging to my third grand uncle Judah P. Benjamin. With any luck, the Touch the Wig tour would end with a precious co-mingling of DNA so that genealogists would know I’d made the vital connection many years from […]
The Mysterious Hunt for the Grave of Rebecca de Mendes
Row 8, plot 85. With the coordinates in hand, it should be simple to find the grave of Rebecca de Mendes Benjamin. But the sun has set over the Dispersed of Judah cemetery, the moon is reduced to a crescent, and an ominous chill has settled in over otherwise warm-blooded New Orleans. Ethan points a meager flashlight borrowed […]